“Never forget me…” Her voice is lost with the slowing beep of the monitor.

“I wouldn’t be able to if I tried.” I whispered trying not to fall apart.

“I love you and Taylor.” She mumbled softly.

“We both love you too mom.” I said back to her as her hand went limp and tears spilled out of my eyes.

I stood up and kissed her forehead lightly, still holding her hand. The door opened and I looked up through the tears to see a curly haired boy standing in front of me.

“Sage, are you alright?” He asked wrapping his arms around shoulders.

“No…” I whispered burying my face in the crook of his neck.

“I’m so sorry.” He said quietly into my hair as he rubbed my back.

I wrapped my arms around the small of his back and sniffled trying to catch my breath. He pulled me closer and kissed my forehead making the tears flow heavier. I balled up his shirt in my fists as another rush of emotions came. I felt his chest stutter against mine when the door opened again. We both looked towards it and saw an older woman holding a rose.

“Is this Anne’s room?” She asked nervously.

“Yes.” I answered shakily pulling away from him.

“Am I too late?” She whispered.

“Yes.” I mumbled stepping aside for her to go towards the bed.

“Oh Anne, I’m so sorry.” I knew she was crying by her weak voice. “Honey, I wish I were here earlier but I couldn’t make it. Wait for me up there.” She whispered kissing her cheek.

I walked over to her and set a hand on her shoulder. She looked back at me and wrapped me in a hug. I had no clue who this woman was but she was feeling loss just like me so I felt the need to comfort her. I pulled her close to me as she broke down in my arms.

“You must be Sage?” She asked pulling back to see me nod. “I got a letter a few days ago from your mom saying I needed to come as soon as possible. She didn’t say why but she did say that there is another letter waiting for me in her desk.”

“May I ask who you are?” I asked shyly.

“Oh, I’m Susana. Your mom and I grew up together.” She smiled weakly.

I nodded and wiped away me tears feeling Harry’s hand grab my waist. Her eyes swept over to him with tired but protective eyes. I set my hand on his and looked up at him.

“Susana, this is my best friend Harry.” I introduced them quietly.

She smiled at him shyly but I knew he was in no state to be kind. I looked up at his dark green eyes and watch a tear slide down his cheek. Facing him, I wiped it away with my thumb and ran my fingers through his curls. He looked at me and blinked away another tear before looking towards the floor.

“I will give you some time to deal with all of this, I’m staying at the Hilton on Rockwell. Just give me a call when you’re ready to talk about the letter. I’m sorry for your loss.” Susana broke the silence and my eye contact with Harry.

“Okay.” I said softly watching her walk towards the door and then up at Harry. “I need to go talk to a nurse, sit down.”

He agreed and sat down next to my mom and looked at her with tears in his eyes. I walked out of the room and caught my breath as a nurse walked over to me.

After filling out some paperwork, we both left the hotel in a taxi and headed back to my mom’s house. I walked into the house shyly and closed the door gingerly behind Harry who was shakier than I was. He stood next to me like he’d never been here before. I grabbed his hand and led him upstairs towards my room.

I found him one of his shirts and a pair of pajama pants he had left here. He took them into the bathroom and changed while I changed into leggings and a sweatshirt. He walked back into my room as I was pulling my slippers on; the look in his eyes was sympathetic and sad. He set his clothes on the floor and sat down next to me.

We didn’t need to talk to understand how we felt. I looked over at my phone as it lit up. He handed it to me and I saw that it was my brother, so I answered it.

“Hello?” I answered weakly.

“Hey, how’s mom?” He asked.

“Where are you?”

“At home with Cleo, where are you?” He asked worriedly.

“Mom passed away, you should come up here as soon as possible.” I said with a shaky voice.

I heard his breathing shake and the phone hit the floor before his knees crashed with the floor. I pulled the phone away from my ear and set it in my lap. Harry grabbed the phone and hung up since we both knew he wouldn’t say anything else for a little while.

“What time is it?” I asked looking down at my hands.

“11:45.” He answered quietly.

“Taylor will probably be here by 3:00, I should stay up.” I stood up shakily.

“I’ll stay up too.” He stood and grabbed my hand.

“Thanks Harry.” I smiled weakly.

He nodded and walked us downstairs. He sat me down on the couch and walked to the kitchen. I watched the clock until he returned with two cups of tea. He sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head on his shoulder while I held my mug with both hands. With only the sound of our breath and the clock, I processed everything that had happen tonight. Without my mom around, what would I do? I couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea that she wouldn’t be here anymore. Harry took my mug from me and set it with his on the table.

“What am I going to do now?” I asked looking up at him.

“I don’t know.” He pulled the blanket from behind us. “For right now, we’re going to lie here and take deep breaths until Taylor gets here.”

I moved a little bit as he covered us in the blanket. With my legs curled up in his lap, I leaned up and kissed his cheek lightly. He looked down into my eyes and smiled slightly. I rested my head back on his shoulder and closed my eyes to relax.

Notes

Hope you guys like this!